A Wall in Between
by Alais Kingsleigh
Summary: Sometimes no matter how hard we try, we just can't seem to find love. But what if love can be found just right next door? This is the story of two people who lives right next to each other, separated only by a wall. They always seem so near yet they can never seem to find each other. Hermione x OC One-shot


**Summary:** Sometimes no matter how hard we try, we just can't seem to find love. But what if love can be found just right next door? This is the story of two people who lives right next to each other, separated only by a wall. They always seem so near yet they can never seem to find each other. Hermione x OC

 **A/N:** This is a shameless rip off of Takeshi Kaneshiro's Turn Left, Turn Right with practically the same storyline just with some differences.

* * *

 **A Wall in Between**

* * *

 **Moving On**

Hermione Granger knew even as the war waged that she will always remain a second class citizen in this world. She fought on so that other muggleborns like her would not have to die or be punished for their birth alone but she knew realistically speaking those centuries old prejudice wouldn't be easily changed and she felt that she'd already given enough of herself to a world that would never change significantly in her lifetime.

She did her research and she realized that no muggleborn ever held the position higher than middle management and certainly there were no Minister of Magic who were muggleborn.

Instead of Australia, Hermione found her parents in USA. After she restored her memories and managed to somewhat repair her relationship with them by explaining why she had to do what she did. They urged her to move in with them and stay away from the wizardry world which would never appreciate her.

She explained that it was different in the USA, given that the wizards and witches here moved to the States to escape the persecution of the old world. Her parents then pleaded with her to just continue her magical studies here and she relented seeing that she owed them.

With her parents' urging and her own realization that her options in positions and studies are limited in the magical world, Hermione took a placement test after months of preparation. She managed to get a high school diploma before she even got her diploma from the Ilvermony School of Wizardry and Witchcraft.

She graduated at the top of her class with a Physics degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her parents had been so proud and supportive of her that they got her an apartment of her own in California because she planned to take up a Master's Degree from Caltech.

* * *

 **Voices from the Other Side**

Before this evening John Liu have not hear a peep from his new neighbor and only knew that she's female because of the admiring tone the doorman had for her "English Rose Beauty". She is usually quiet but it seems that she is on speaker phone, engaging in what seems to be a long distance conversation with someone he assumes to be her boyfriend.

"…No! If you couldn't understand it when I first explained it, you will never understand it now. What do you mean you were "lenient" when you "allowed" me to attend college?" There was a pause and a male voice almost indiscernible even for John's sensitive ears to pick. "I don't need a master's degree because I'm just going to stay home with the kids anyway? What kind of a Neanderthal are you? No! You are not breaking off with me because I'm breaking off with you!" John's neighbor shouted. Then, he started to hear sobs.

So, he did the only thing he could in this situation, he played his violin in attempts to comfort his crying neighbor.

* * *

 **Melody of Comfort**

Hermione is not a professional when it comes to music but she could tell that her neighbor plays the violin really well. There were only four apartments in her small building, with two units per side of the corridor. Despite the building's size, it has very good amenities. It has a gym, an indoor swimming pool and even a children's area. All of which, Hermione had yet to use given her busy schedule at Caltech.

She knew that the units of her building did not come in cheap, but her parents are probably trying to bribe her with this so that she will not feel tempted to return to the Wizardry World in England.

She doubts if she ever will. In the academic world, she is appreciated both by her peers and her professors for her intellect and talents. Whereas she knew that she'd only be Ron's breeding mare if she ever returned to the Wizardry World in England. Her parents, being dentists, understood her academic dreams and her eventual dream career of being a professor and research fellow at Caltech. Her friends did not.

Over the years they've been urging her to come back "home", even if her parents were to stay abroad. Ron, because he didn't even bother to finish his magical education, could not understand why she wanted to study so much. After all, he has a good job as a manager of his brother's very successful joke shop. Since he'd never voiced this feeling out, she had never been able to call him out for it.

Apparently, he expected Hermione to come home immediately after restoring her parents' memories, perhaps visiting them now and then through the floo network or portkey. He supposes, he'd been lenient enough, as a boyfriend, to allow Hermione to study college. But he just didn't understand why she'd want to take up a Master's Degree for when she's just going to stay home with the children.

That was the last straw for Hermione. After that, she blocked all incoming floo from England and charmed her house to confuse owls so that they would be unable to deliver her mail. She sobbed as she did these precautionary measures, comforted and finally lulled to sleep by her neighbor's violin.

* * *

 **A Creepy Woman**

John works for the California Symphony Orchestra as the first violinist, a prestigious place of honor for the most talented violinist of the group. Despite his skill with the bow and the strings of his violin, he was woefully unskilled and inexperienced with women.

He might have had girlfriends before but he practically had no experience with aggressive matronly women who are out to hunt. He did not understand the fan girl's double meaning when she asked to take him home.

He accepted since his car was under repair. But the moment he entered her car she started saying very suggestive things. All he could think of is that she looks to be near his mom's age. Her hand would occasionally land on his leg. He knew that many would scoff at him for his actions, but the moment he saw his apartment building, he jumped off the car and ran up his apartment, ignoring the doorman's greeting.

The next day, he saw her waiting at the left corner of his apartment building where he normally walks on his way to practice. He checked his watch and saw that it was only 9:05 AM, he went the other way.

* * *

 **A Fertile Imagination**

Her fellow nerds (what they call themselves) at Caltech are obsessed with comic books. Hermione figured she should at least try it before scoffing at her friends' interests. Since she wasn't interested in superheroes, the comic book store owner suggested some horror stories.

Soon she was caught in a world of ghouls, monsters and ghosts. Her friends caught wind of her attention and in their enthusiasm to get her to like comic books started telling scary stories when they ate dinner that night.

Hermione had never been scared of movies, but the human mind is such a powerful tool that it almost drove her into panic when a tree branch snagged her scarf. That night she slept with her head under covers which is funny since she went to two schools with actual ghost residents and had seen many things during the last wizardry war. But these wouldn't be able to compete with the raw fear she felt. It was irrational but humans sometimes enjoy a scare or two.

By the light of the day, Hermione felt silly for being so scared. She was also very late for her first class of the day. She used the stairs as the elevator seemed to be taking it sweet time to get to her floor. It was 9:05 when she got outside. Despite her earlier rumination, she still avoided the left side of her building and berated herself for being silly for the rest of the day.

* * *

 **An Accidental Meeting**

The sky was dark and gloomy when John accidentally bumped into her. Her loose notes flew out of her hand right into the fountain. She immediately rushed in to pick them up while he quickly followed.

Moments later, they've spread the paper on the grass to be dried by the sun. John then recognized her. She was the girl he met years ago, on the shores of Scotland, when his aunt was married to that Scot. He asked her and had been happy when she acknowledged that it was indeed her.

She had only been on tour of the light house museum for the day, her parents had been busy attending a day seminar and she had been pretty much left on her own devices. She was 10 and he was 12. They exchanged addresses but somehow his address was left behind on the backpack she lost that day. John on the other hand lost her address when his backpack was taken from him by a local bully. Both sighed at the memory.

John, inspired by her wrote a composition and played his violin while she listened. She on the other hand read from her notes. Some may find a Physics research unsuited for music, but this wasn't the case. Her study and his music seem to fall in sync. It might not have been a date, but it was the most enjoyable one John had ever been on.

They exchanged phone numbers but both had to run off because of the rainstorm that soon drenched both of them on their way to their different destinations.

* * *

 **Disappointment**

That night both were happy to have met again. Only for both to realize that their numbers had been blurred beyond recognition. They tried different numbers but had been unable to recognize what was originally written. Unfortunately, both caught colds. In her excitement, Hermione forgot to take her medication. She refused to leave the house in case he calls. Hermione rested, falling asleep as she waited for John to call her.

John's colds medication is past expiration date and he decided against taking it. He didn't want to leave the house because she might call him. He shivered and fell asleep under his covers, hoping that the girl of his dreams would call him.

Hermione called the take out restaurant downstairs. A few minutes later, John called the restaurant downstairs. Ruby, the stay-in waitress of the restaurant had long admired the violinist. She wasn't one of his fan girls, as she can barely afford the tickets to his orchestra's show. But she fell in love with him as he would practice his violin while waiting for his meal. She delivered their meal, first to Hermione's house and then to John's.

She noticed both of the water soaked papers lying on the coffee table in both of their houses and by John's story realized that they were looking for each other. Ruby told John that an old woman lived next door to his apartment.

* * *

 **Suitors**

After seeing John's sorry state by the next morning when he ordered take out once more, Ruby insisted on bringing him to the hospital. Hermione on the other hand knew that she was already very ill and decided to call an ambulance.

Ruby took care of John while he got confined. But right next door to him was Hermione who was feeling sorry for herself but did not want to bother her parents.

Hermione might be red with fever and her hair as wild as ever but Dr. James Doherty never saw a more beautiful sight. He fell in love with her.

Ruby decided to stay in John's house to take care of him while he was convalescing while Hermione was surprised when Dr. Doherty appeared by her doorstep.

Ruby was smothering John. It's not that he didn't like someone who would take care of him. He just didn't like Ruby, if someone would be pushy with him, he'd rather it be Her. He didn't tell Ruby how angry he was when he found out she threw away that smudged piece of paper that had Her number in it. He decided to take a walk in the carnival.

The merry go round was being dismantled. He'd always enjoyed that ride, even as an adult as they've used antique pieces. He decided to buy one of the horses.

Dr. Doherty, of course, couldn't just live in Hermione's house. So he had a private investigator follow her around. But on his spare time, he would sit in the restaurant at the ground floor of Hermione's apartment. The investigator took several photos and had now delivered it to him.

"Why the hell is that guy in every picture with my Hermione?!" Dr. Doherty exclaimed as he noticed there seemed to be the same guy who was always in the frame. Out of curiousity, Ruby who was serving him peeked at the said pictures. "Why is that girl in the pictures with my boyfriend?!" Ruby exclaimed.

There they were, always nearby but always apart. One turned to the other direction while the other was looking elsewhere. Both were on concerts, buses, the other walking up an overpass while the other was down the road or one going up the elevator while the other went down, but they were always looking away from each other.

"It's like they're destined for each other. But they aren't mean to be together just yet…" Said the private investigator who had to apologize when his client and the waitress both shouted at him. Ruby turned to look at Dr. Doherty. "You keep an eye on your girl." She said through gritted teeth. Dr. Doherty glared back at her. "You keep an eye on your boyfriend." He replied.

Hermione was rushing to the carnival when she "accidentally" bumped into Dr. Doherty. She was going to buy one of the antique horses from the merry go round. Dr. Doherty insisted that he buy it for her, she of course declined. So he offered to hire men to lift it to her apartment.

After the horse was carefully placed inside her apartment, the men who carried her horse bid "Mrs. Doherty" good bye. Dr. Doherty who still have not left, removed his shoes and took off his stinking wet socks and threw it on her bed. He then announced that he plans on having a shower because carrying that horse was heavy work. Hermione took a piece of tissue and used it to remove Dr. Doherty's socks from her bed, her nose wrinkling from the smell. Hermione realized she'd have to talk to him soon.

John was busily polishing his wooden horse. He muttered about how love when unrequited can make the other miserable if the one who loved insisted on grabbing on. Ruby was obnoxiously jumping on his couch as her favorite soccer team tied scores with their opponents. He realized he'd have to talk to her soon.

* * *

 **Pictures**

Ruby cried all the way downstairs when John told her that as flattered as he is with her attentions, he just couldn't find it in himself to love her because he loves someone else. She quickly wrote down Hermione's number, which she had memorized from all the times the girl ordered take out. She of course didn't say whose it was and merely had him think that it was hers.

John sighed and just placed Ruby's number on the refrigerator door and attached it with one of his magnet collections.

Dr. James Doherty tried to keep his tears from falling after Hermione told him that she couldn't love him since she already loves someone else. He would just nod his head and quickly scrawled down John's number, one he'd memorized after the investigator gave it to him. He didn't tell her anything as he left.

She quickly placed what she assumed to be Dr. Doherty's number on the refrigerator door, held by some of her magnet collection.

Both Dr. Doherty and Ruby would find each other in a bar right next block. They would find solace in each other's arms. After a passionate night together, both decided that they would take revenge on Hermione and John by sending them pictures of how close they were to finding each other only for fate to drive them apart. They also wrote how they now found new loves. Still, they did not tell the two that they live next door to each other.

John pitied whoever Ruby set her eyes on while Hermione felt relief that at least James Doherty found someone else to stalk. Both looked wistfully at the photos but they realized that maybe they just weren't for each other because otherwise they would have found each other during all those times.

* * *

 **Moving On**

Hermione was offered a full ride doctorate scholarship at the University of Chicago and a promise of being made faculty even before she'd even graduate. She stared at the pictures she had of herself and her dream guy. As ever, she was a realist. She cannot live with dreams. It would have been different if she was actually in some sort of relationship with him or at least knew his name so she could find him.

John was offered the first violin position by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He doesn't play music for the pay, although that does come in handy and Chicago Symphony Orchestra gives the highest pay in the country. He stared at the picture of his dream girl. He was a dreamer, but he knew that his chances of finding her again were almost next to impossible. It would have been different if he was in some sort of relationship with her or at least knew her name so he could find her.

She made up her mind, she'd go. She has to move on with her life. He made up his mind, he'd go. He has to move on with his life. Except, he realized he owe Ruby an apology and his gratitude for taking care of him. So he called the number Ruby gave him, only for Her to answer. He knew it was Her, he could tell Her voice anywhere.

"Hello?" Hermione answered the phone, her caller ID indicated the number Dr. Doherty gave her. "Hi…" The voice greeted on the other line. It was Him. She'd know his voice anywhere.

Just then an earthquake shook Pasadena. The weak wall dividing the two apartments shook badly, weakened by the bookshelves nailed to it from Hermione's side and then it broke. Just then John saw Her, Hermione saw Him and they were both holding the phones on their hand, shocked as they were by the sudden earthquake. John quickly rushed to the other apartment while Hermione stood in shock as he rushed to hug her and as soon as he did Hermione returned his hug, each still holding on to their landlines. Both were unmindful of the dust and debris around them as they finally found each other.

* * *

Some months later, in an apartment in Chicago, a violin case and a beaded bag sat side by side on a coffee table.


End file.
